“There but for the grace of God…”
Phrases such as “there but for the grace of God go I” can be useful in reminding us that any of us weak and frail human beings can end up in a very unenviable state. If we look at it a certain way it can also help to remind us that we should not look down on less fortunate people, or even people who have made bad choices in their lives, as if they were inherently worth less because are still very much like us. Looking at it from this perspective, it can seem to be a useful and reasonable phrase, but sadly it has a dark undertone.
By saying things like “there but for the grace of God go I”, we are saying not only that God loves and blesses us, but that he is punishing people by letting horrible things happen to them, or even by causing horrible things to happen to them.
We are therefore, if we assume that the “grace” we receive is based on God’s love for us or our good works, saying that the people who bad things happen to do not have God’s love or that they are bad people not worthy of being rewarded. The other alternative, that God simply chooses capriciously who to bless and who to curse is even more abominable.